Tom Cruise vs John Woo For 'Flying Tigers'

EXCLUSIVE: John Woo and Terence Chang might well be getting off the tarmac first with their WWII saga Flying Tigers. But New Regency, 20th Century Fox, and Tom Cruise are still fighting the good fight on a rival project that carries the identical title. They’ve hired Kirk Ellis to rewrite a draft of Flying Tigers that was done by Cruise’s Valkyrie scribe Christopher McQuarrie and Mason Alley. Both films are based on the story of the volunteered fighter squadron formed by General Claire Chennault to help the Chinese fight against the Empire of Japan before the United States entered WWII. The aging Chinese planes were no match for the superior Japanese forces, until the volunteers arrived in American-made P-40 War Hawks. The two squadrons flew side by side, in fighter planes emblazoned with the gaping tiger’s teeth logo. After Pearl Harbor, the Flying Tigers became an effective squadron in the U.S. Air Force. Jeff Greene is producing.

Cruise has long wanted to play a pilot in a period war movie, and has been attached to several WWII aviator pictures. He’s always got multiple offers, and I’m told reliably that despite reports, he is not attached to the Warner Bros script El Presidente. He’s obviously not taking part in the Flying Tigers movie directed by his Mission: Impossible 2 helmer Woo, who with Chang have mounted a Hollywood-China joint production with China Film Group as the lead Chinese financier. They expect to shoot next spring, and signed a deal for the footage to be remastered for the IMAX Experience. My experience on these races is that whether it was The Last Samurai (a race Cruise won) or Alexander the Great, once a picture makes it into production, the other one gets shelved.

Ellis won two Emmy Awards for the HBO miniseries John Adams, writing 7 episodes of the mini.

20 Comments

patricia breen • on Oct 7, 2010 4:32 pm

who the fuck even cares??? Cruise has jumped the shark.This was his last shot..he blew it!! That young teenage “Twilight” audience is going to just run to see this movie. That is if they even KNOW about WW2…Sad because he’s lost his dignity.

Jean Robie • on Oct 7, 2010 4:55 pm

They were called the “flying tigers,” but the teeth were sharks’ teeth–it’s a bit of pedantry, but there you are.

Stu V • on Nov 28, 2010 8:27 am

The Japanese feared the Tiger Shark more tnan any other. The teeth are Tiger Sharks and the AVG were orginally the Flying Tiger Sharks but was shortened to the Flying Tigers. The patch for the 75th Fighter Group was a Tiger Shark shooting from its wings (fins). My late Father-in-Law flew P-40s in China after the Army took over the AVG. He served under Tex Hill, Ed Recter, etc. Was honored to attend three reunions with him and meet many of these legends. I hope the movie stays close to the truth and use real names.

Jean Robie • on Oct 7, 2010 4:58 pm

From Wikipedia: Perhaps the most enduring nose art of WWII was the shark-face motif, which first appeared on the Bf-110s of Luftwaffe 76th Destroyer Wing over Crete, where the twin-engined Messerschmitts outmatched the Gloster Gladiator biplanes of RAF 112 Squadron. The Commonwealth pilots were withdrawn to Egypt and refitted with Curtiss Tomahawks off the same assembly line building fighter aircraft for the AVG Flying Tigers being recruited for service in China. In November 1941, AVG pilots saw a 112 Squadron Tomahawk in an illustrated weekly and immediately adopted the shark-face motif for their own planes. This work was done by the pilots and ground crew in the field.

justaskinman • on Oct 7, 2010 7:55 pm

Why do war buffs always have to be such know-it-all jerks?

chiq • on Oct 8, 2010 7:31 am

Good question!

Sam • on Oct 8, 2010 1:51 pm

No one is a bigger know it all than Kirk Ellis. Nice guy but you want to slap him upside the head sometimes. He’s a great choice for this.

Irving Thalberg's Ghost • on Oct 7, 2010 8:05 pm

Might be true Patricia. But the popularity of games like Medal of Honor might draw in a younger demo. Besides, it’s a hell of a true story.

Anonymous • on Oct 7, 2010 11:12 pm

I heard Morgan Creek was in “active preproduction” on this

Robert • on Oct 8, 2010 12:27 am

Here’s an idea… Hollywood should make a feature adaptation of the 70’s TV series BAA BAA BLACK SHEEP. Pappy Boyington was a “Flying Tiger” under Gen. Chennault before forming a rag tag group of misfit pilots dubbed “The Black Sheep”. A drunk, a hero, a POW… it’s all there.

Rick James • on Oct 8, 2010 8:44 am

Excellent idea, and comment.

valker • on Oct 8, 2010 10:49 am

“Memphis Belle” can’t be topped.

expat1954 • on May 16, 2011 7:21 am

Memphis Belle was a bore.

bsd • on Oct 8, 2010 11:08 am

This film has some serious potential between the material and the current state of visual effects. As long as the script sticks close to a traditional arc and doesn’t get muddied down with too many characters (Pearl Harbor), the true life story and WWII dog fights will have people flocking to the theaters.

Great idea! ‘Pappy” was born here in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho in 1912, raised in St.Maries and has recently been honored by having the airport named in his honor…Coeur d’Alene Airport/Pappy Boyington Field. We are in the process of erecting an 8ft. Bronze statue at the Field and we are exploring the possibility of starting an aviation heritage museum next to it. For more info, please visit boyingtonmemorialfund dot com.

TME48 • on Jul 28, 2011 8:25 pm

I once herd the late great “Tex” Hill say”…its hard to shoot down the enemy when your sittn at the end of the bar”… and also “the only good thing I can say about Pappy is that he was a good pilot”…. From what I understand Pappy had a real bad drinking habit and was never ready for mast of his missions with the AVG. Other Flying Tigers have said that he only went on about 4 missions in about 5 months time. He usually was drunk and the back-up pilot had to go in his place.

harkin • on Oct 8, 2010 12:18 pm

They were called the “black sheep”, but the pilots were caucasians–it’s a bit of pedantry, but there you are

Ripsnorter • on Oct 9, 2010 3:25 pm

I’m for the John Woo version because I get a real kick out of those slow motion pigeons he uses every time.

No name • on Nov 27, 2010 10:44 am

Sad to read all the negative post about Cruise creating a movie about a group of young airmen who volunteered to defend China before WW2. James H Joward was a AVG pilot with 6 kills, after the AVG disband in July 42 he because commander of the first p-51 mustang squadron in the ETO to become the only fighter pilot in the ETO to be awarded the congressional metal of honor. He single handly took on thiry German fighters, shooting down four before running out of ammo.That would be a good movie.

JP • on Feb 29, 2012 9:27 pm

Was this squadron made up of volunteers or mercenaries? I remember reading that payment was what motivated them. Afterall, they were risking their lives. I say this not to discredit them but to understand the truth. If they were mercenaries though, who would be paying them?